Mayor Bob Young announced Wednesday that four officials from the company, including an Amtrak senior planner for the Southeast, will visit Augusta next month and conduct a tour of the city's rail infrastructure. The tour is scheduled for June 6.

They also will look at areas downtown where local officials said a multi-use terminal could be built to accommodate a train, bus and cab station.

''They're coming here as part of the research process,'' the mayor said.

Last month, a group of local officials traveled to Washington to meet with Amtrak representatives. The visit came after Augusta leaders learned that the Garden City was not included in the company's plans for expansion.

Right now, the closest Amtrak station to Augusta is about 55 miles away, in Denmark, S.C., and boarded about 4,800 passengers last year.

Several other cities in the Southeast, including Atlanta; Macon; Savannah; Columbus, Ga.; Spartanburg, S.C.; and Columbia, have Amtrak service or are included in the company's expansion plans.

An Amtrak terminal - usually built downtown in most cities - would have an almost immediate effect on Augusta, said Tim McFalls, the chairman of the Georgia Rail Passenger Authority, the board overseeing the state's passenger rail program.

''Within a 5-mile radius, you'll see an increase in commercial growth,'' he said. ''To gentrify the downtown area, this is a perfect opportunity.''

While local officials said they have not determined where to build a terminal, one area being considered is near the intersection of 7th and Hale streets.

But the first step is convincing Amtrak that servicing Augusta would be profitable - an increasingly important concern for the company because it will have stopped receiving government subsidies by Jan. 1, 2003.

The campaign to bring passenger train service should not compete with Augusta Regional Airport's ongoing campaign to retain more passengers from driving to competing airports in Atlanta and Columbia, Mr. Young said.

Marcie Wilhelmi, the chairwoman of the Augusta Aviation Commission, said she supports the mayor's efforts to increase the number of transportation options in the area, adding that the airport will have to focus on remaining competitive with or without passenger trains.

''They may complement the other,'' she said.

Reach Vicky Eckenrode at (706) 823-3227.